Pope Benedict XVI has elevated St. John the Evangelist Church in downtown Stamford in the Bridgeport Diocese to the status of minor basilica. The designation was announced Oct. 17. 

Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport said in a statement he was grateful to the pope “for this great blessing on our diocese. As a minor basilica, St. John’s now enjoys a special relationship with the Holy Father,” he said. “It becomes the pope’s church and a center for the promotion of the teachings of the Holy Father and the Catholic Church’s magisterium, as well as a center for a deeper devotion to the pope as the successor of St. Peter.” 

Founded in 1847 to meet the needs of a growing Catholic population, St. John is known as the “mother church of Stamford.”

There’s much more, including some gorgeous music and history and pictures at the St. John’s website.